The duplex building style is under the category of Small Multi-Family Attached residential building. Although the definition and the use of the word “Duplex” may differ from one region or continent to another. Generally, a duplex is a single building that houses two separate residential units, either side by side or one above the other offering a blend of shared and private spaces. This type of design is efficient for maximizing the use of a single plot of land while providing distinct living quarters for two households.
On a broader note, a duplex building plan has two living units attached to each other, either next to each other as townhouses, condominiums or above each other like apartments. By contrast, a building comprising two attached units on two distinct properties is typically considered semi-detached or twin homes but is also called a duplex in parts of the Northeastern United States, Western Canada, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria.
The term “duplex” is not extended to three-unit and four-unit buildings, as they would be referred to with specific terms such as three-family (or triplex) and fourplex (or quadplex/quadruplex) or a more general multiplex. Because of the flexibility of the term, the line between an apartment building and a duplex is somewhat blurred, with apartment buildings tending to be bigger, while duplexes are usually the size of a single-family house.
Here are the key characteristics and elements that define a Duplex building:
- Two Separate Units: A Duplex building contains two distinct living units, each with its own entrance, kitchen, bathroom(s), and living spaces. The units can be mirror images of each other or have different layouts.
- Shared Structure: Both units are housed within a single building structure, sharing common walls, floors, or ceilings. This makes duplexes different from detached homes, which are standalone structures.
- Side-by-Side or Stacked Configuration: The two units can be arranged side by side, each occupying half of the building horizontally, or one above the other, each occupying different floors of the building.
- Separate Entrances: Each unit in a duplex typically has its own entrance, ensuring privacy and independence for the residents of each unit.
- Common Features: While the units are separate, they often share features such as a yard, driveway, or garage. In some designs, utilities like water, gas, and electricity may also be shared or separately metered.
- Ownership and Occupancy: Duplexes can be owned by a single owner who rents out one or both units, or each unit can be individually owned. They are often used for multi-generational living, rental income, or as investment properties.
- Design Variability: Duplexes come in various architectural styles and sizes, ranging from modest, single-story buildings to larger, multi-story structures. The design can be tailored to urban, suburban, or rural settings.
In Nigeria, the term “Duplex” refers specifically to a building with one unit built above another (one-storey building) commonly occupied by a single family. In some big cities like Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, Kaduna and Some Eastern states in Nigeria, a Duplex building style could comprise a building with one unit built above another but for two distinct families with separate access to their units – This type of arrangement is also called a semi-detached duplex in Nigeria.
Major Canadian cities sometimes use the term duplex to refer specifically to a building with one unit built above another. Edmonton defines ‘Duplex Housing’ as “development consisting of a building containing only two Dwellings, with one Dwelling placed over the other in whole or in part with individual and separate access to each Dwelling”.
Calgary defines Duplex Dwelling as “a building which contains two Dwelling Units, one located above the other, with each having a separate entrance”. Toronto proposes in their new Zoning Bylaw to define ‘Duplex Building’ as a building that has only two dwelling units, and one dwelling unit is entirely or partially on top of the other dwelling unit. Halifax defines Duplex Dwelling as “the whole of a dwelling that is divided horizontally into two separate dwelling units, each of which has an independent entrance”.
Other major cities use the term duplex, but for dwelling units. Dallas defines the term duplex as “two dwelling units located on a lot”. Philadelphia defines a duplex dwelling as “a dwelling occupied as the home or residence of two (2) families, under one (1) roof, each family occupying a single unit”, a definition that excludes a pair of twin (semi-detached) houses, two dwellings separated by a firewall that extends above the roofline.
Other major cities do not use the term duplex in their zoning or land-use bylaws. San Francisco and Vancouver use the term Two-family dwelling. Winnipeg uses the term Dwelling, two-family. The definitions of these terms do not specify the physical relationship between the two dwelling units in the building. In cities such as Buffalo, Detroit and Chicago, the term “two-flat” is used and defines as a “residential building that contains 2 dwelling units located on a single lot. The dwelling units must share a common wall or common floor/ceiling.
Where cities do not define the relationship of the dwelling units to one another, units may be built one on top of the other, or one beside the other. The latter arrangement is more specifically referred to as a semi-detached building.
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